September 21st, 2009
Five funky, alternative cameras
While it is good to have a point-and-shoot and a digital SLR in one’s camera repertoire, there are some unconventional cameras (both film and digital) out on the market with a variety of novelty uses.
1. Slim Devil Camera: If you like especially wide-angle photos, you’re looking for something cheap, and you still like film, then look up the Slim Devil. This simple, lightweight model features a 22mm wide-angle lens, vibrant colors, vignette effects and uses standard 35mm film, rounding out an affordable, retro camera. (Price: $30)
2. The Diana Camera: After a 35-year hiatus, the Diana film camera was revived. Known for (purposely) soft, dreamy photos, this Lomography camera is a cult classic. The updated version also allows for panoramic and pinhole images. There are also a number of accessories you can purchase for this camera, including an external lash or a fisheye lens. (Price: $50)
Three more after the jump…
3. Lomography FishEye: One of my favorite alternative photo looks has to be the fisheye. It might seem overdone or cliche at this point, but there are lots of ways you can play around with this look. You can either buy a fisheye lens for your DSLR or special camera to achieve this look. (Price: $58)
4. Fuji Instax Instant Camera: While instant Polaroid film is on its way out, other manufacturers are trying to fill the instant photo void. Fuji has produced a (somewhat) compact camera that can issue color, “credit card-sized” photos within minutes of hitting the shutter button. The quality of the photos are relatively better than the old Polaroid photos, but don’t expect too much color. Besides, sometimes people spend hours on Photoshop to create that retro, washed-out photo look. Using this camera, you can just do that in a few minutes! (Price: $130)
5. Leica Mini Digital Camera: While I really adore the old-school look to Leica cameras, I can never quite afford one since they’re usually several hundred (or thousand) U.S. dollars. But there is a…smaller version out on the market. The 5-megapixel mini camera will fit in the palm of your hand and still take some pretty pictures. Please keep in mind though that this is a mini, therefore toy, camera, so it won’t be taking as high-quality photos as a regular Leica model. (Price: $225)
Do you have any cameras like these? Do any of these interest you?
[Photos via Lomography]
Rachel started playing with her mother's old Brownie camera when she was just a toddler, working her way up from a Hello Kitty point-and-shoot to training on both film and digital SLRs. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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